Charges Dropped in Halifax High-Profile Sexual Assault Case After Defendant Dies in Homicide | The Canadian News

Charges against a man accused in a high-profile sexual assault case have been dropped after he was killed in a homicide over the weekend.

In February 2020, Alexander Joseph Frederick Thomas, 35, was charged with sexual assault and forcible confinement in connection with an incident in 2018.

Early Saturday morning, police found Thomas’s body at a residence on Braeside Court. His death has been declared a homicide.

Carrie Low, who identified herself as the plaintiff in the sexual assault case, had been outspoken about the incident and how she said the Halifax Regional Police mishandled the case.

The Nova Scotia Complaints Commissioner initially rejected his complaint because it was beyond the time limit for filing a complaint, but that decision was later overturned by judicial review.

A pretrial application hearing for the sexual assault case was set for Tuesday morning at Dartmouth Provincial Court. However, since Thomas had been assassinated, the Crown offered no evidence and the charges against him were dropped.

Thomas’s defense had planned to solicit pre-trial testimony from an RCMP investigator, who was expected to allege that police conduct was so faulty that Thomas’s constitutional right to a fair trial had been violated.

“A truly unfortunate way any case ends,” said Judge Ted Tax during the proceedings.

“Fortunately, it is rare that these circumstances arise, but unfortunately, that is the situation that we face today,” he said.

“As a result, these matters have come to an end in the provincial court.”

Outside of court, Crown attorneys said the police investigation into the sexual assault is still ongoing, adding that they intended to call their own witnesses to rebut the defense’s claims of police misconduct.

Early Stage Homicide Investigation

On Sunday, Emma Halpern, executive director of the Elizabeth Fry Society of Nova Scotia and a member of Low’s legal team, said in a statement that Low was still processing the news.

Carrie is shocked by the news of Alexander Thomas’ passing. His condolences go out to his family and community, ”said Halpern.

“You are also concerned about the impact this may have on your quest for justice in your case. Carrie and her legal team are still processing this shocking news and will determine the way forward in the coming days. “

On Monday, Const. John MacLeod, a spokesman for the Halifax Regional Police, said the investigation is still in its early stages. He could not say if the homicide was related to the sexual assault case.

“Certainly they are searching all avenues,” he said. “All the information will have to be considered when they are looking at how to solve this.”

Mark Bailey, the attorney representing Thomas in the sexual assault case, told Global News that Thomas had several young children and that his family is grieving his death.

“They are fighting right now. It was a great impact for them, ”he said.

“The family is hopeful that this will be resolved quickly. They want to know what happened and for this matter to be resolved. “

– with files from The Canadian Press, Rebecca Lau and Callum Smith